Words by

Eliza Sholly

If you have Instagram, you’ve probably come across Insta-celeb and boho babe Mimi Elashiry.

Born in Egypt, Mimi was raised in Sydney as the ultimate girl next door. The 20-year-old self-made model and dancer has over 800k Instagram followers, her own swimwear line and spends her time travelling the globe (making us insanely jealous in the process).

So far 2016 has seen Mimi move to LA and partner with Sportsgirl to create a short film for its new denim collection. The film sees Mimi dancing throughout some iconic Melbourne locations, showcasing the versatility of the new range.

We chatted to Mimi about the collaboration, her fave fashion and how to rule the Insta game. And we learnt a lot.

Tell me about your collaboration with Sportsgirl.

It was an awesome opportunity, because I got to showcase my individual diversity against the diversity of all the denim. It was also really fun being able to choreograph a short film clip. I loved it.

How did you get into dancing initially?

My mum put me into dancing when I was six years old. I did ballet for 14 years, then contemporary for about six years. Then I taught hip-hop for two years – but I haven’t been dancing much recently because I got injured.

I also did tap for a while too but that just got too noisy for me.

What's one denim staple you think every girl should have in her wardrobe?

That my first name is Ismeen. It doesn’t have a meaning, it’s just an Arabic name.

How did you get the nickname Mimi from Ismeen?

When I was about two years old, I was living in Egypt with my dad’s parents. All my relatives over there nicknamed me Meena, because of Ismeen, but my mum hated it. So she switched it around to Mimi and told everyone that was my name. Then she enrolled me in pre-school as Mimi.

What do you think is the best part of your job?

Having the opportunity to travel for work is by far the best part. Travelling is something that a lot of people work hard to do, so the fact I can do them both simultaneously is really a blessing.

Where is one place you would be disappointed if you never got to visit?

India, definitely. I’m going to hold off until I can go there for like, six months, so I can stay there and get lost.

So what’s next for Mimi Elashiri?

I don’t really plan things or set goals like that. I think one definite for me is launching the next collection of my swimwear line. But that’s the only thing. I'm just going to take it as it comes, it’s all a big adventure I guess.